


fly me to the moon (let me play among the stars)

by Imaginary_Capable16



Series: Transformers One-shots [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: AND GAY, Arcee is a bisexual change my mind, Arcee is concerned, Arcee is confused, Canadians eh, F/F, Gen, Good Lord, I have way too many things to write, Jack is confused, June means well, Miko is nosy, Motorcycle Rides, Police, Stargazing, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, a wee bit, and so is my character, aren't we all, cybertron had gay rights, denial?, feelings?? for a human???, get yourself a wingman like Jack, he knows, oooh boy, technically completed but may be adding to in the future, that's about as gay as it gets, the far future, the other bots make minor appearences, this is so chaotic, this title is half-assed at best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23222941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imaginary_Capable16/pseuds/Imaginary_Capable16
Summary: In which Jack's older sister comes to town for a week, and chaos ensues.
Relationships: Arcee & Jack Darby, Arcee (Transformers) & Original Female Character(s), Arcee (Transformers)/Original Female Character(s), Jack Darby & Rafael "Raf" Esquivel & Miko Nakadai
Series: Transformers One-shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669735
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I (surprise!) came up with this in the shower and immediately wrote it down and now we're here. Arcee is the only Autobot in canon who has a holoform and I took advantage of that and if you don't like it well it's literally canon so I don't know what to tell you.  
> I feel like she's a little OOC in this, but like, there was nothing I could do once the words start coming. Let me tell you she's easier to write than Optimus, or Ratchet for that matter.  
> I decided to split this into two chapters so we didn't end up with a 15,000-word page (which I have no problem with, but I needed to publish something.)  
> Please enjoy, and thanks for reading.  
> Yes this title is frank sinatra I don't wanna hear it

"You look stressed."  Arcee quips as Jack climbs on the motorbike seat, throwing on his helmet in the process. 

"Tell you at the base." 

And tell he does. 

What she gains from the conversation he has with Miko and Raf, Jack has an older sister who's coming into town for a week. "She lives in Canada," He supplies. "She hasn't been here in a while, and mom wants her to use her vacation days to spend time with us." 

Miko shrugs. "I don't see the problem, another girl to hang with-" 

"No, Miko." The boy throws up his hands. "She can't find out about this! And she's babysitting us for a night." 

That, Arcee thinks, is going to be a problem, no matter how good the kids are with hiding this from people. Even Jack's mom found out eventually (even if it took a kidnapping situation, but if his sister has any more common sense than June does, she'll know within the week. Jack isn't particularly good at hiding that his motorcycle is not, in fact, a motorcycle.) 

According to Jack, she's coming tomorrow morning, which also happens to be a Saturday, which he's also not happy about. Neither is Miko. "But Saturday's are  _ our  _ days! You spend them here!" 

Jack shrugs, clearly feeling the same. "Apparently I need to be there at the airport to pick her up with mom, and for the rest of the day. Mom's working again and she wants me to entertain her." 

Arcee snorts at this, and Jack gives her a look. She doesn't mind, she'll give him three of them just like it by the end of the day. 

"Are you gonna come by at all?" 

Jack shrugs again. "Maybe at the end of the day, if you guys aren't busy." He looks to her. 

Arcee smiles. "I'll be on stand-by." 

He returns the sentiment and goes back to talking with the other two. 

Saturday morning rolls around (it rolls around too early in Jack's opinion, it should be a crime to be up at five-o-clock in the morning, much less functioning.) But there he is, waiting in the car for his mom who went in to help Andy with her bags. 

The last time he saw her... well he can't remember. She's a decade older than him, twenty-six if what mom has told him is right. She's a police officer somewhere in Canada, Toronto, if he remembers right. There's a picture of baby him and ten-year-old Andy on the mantle in their living room. To his knowledge, she moved out as soon as she could, to Canada, of all places. His mom told him it was because of his dad; she doesn't blame her. 

He looks out of the window, and there's his mom walking with a woman who he guesses is Andy. She's good looking, (if he's allowed to judge that) sporting shorts and a long-sleeved shirt with a Canadian maple leaf plastered on the front. Her hair is cut short, just above chin length, and half of it is tied back. She's pulling a rolling suitcase behind her, and Jack gets out to open the trunk of their old, beat-up car. Mom gives him a nod of thanks and tells Andy she's going to start the car. Andy herself lifts the suitcase into the trunk with ease, then turns to him. "Hey," She gives him an awkward wave. "You must be Jack, you're older than I remember." 

He waves back, not sure what to say. "Hi, erm, I suppose you're Andy?" 

"The one and only." She pauses. "This is gonna sound awkward, but do you remember me?" 

Jack shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry, I probably should." 

Andy shrugs. "You're fine, I saw that coming." She reaches up to close the trunk and gestures back to the car. "Shall we? Is mom always this overbearing?" 

Jack snorts and instantly likes her more. "Pretty much, welcome to Jasper." 

The drive is mostly quiet, his mom tries her best to force a conversation between the three of them, but it just doesn't stick. It's awkward, Jack hasn't seen this woman sitting in front of him for years, he hardly remembers seeing her in the first place. 

They go through the usual: What he's doing in school, what he does after school (he lies heavily about that one), and who his friends are (he half lies this time). Mom asks about her job, about what she does outside of that. Andy mentions a gunfight she was in a few months ago and his mom nearly crashes the car. Jack snickers in the backseat and Andy turns to give him a grin. 

They pull into the driveway and open the garage. Andy opens the trunk, pulls out her suitcase, and begins walking up the concrete. Then she sees Arcee sitting in the garage (in her vehicle mode, of course) and her jaw hits the pavement. She whistles, "Sweet ride mom." 

His mom looks over her shoulder. "Oh she's not mine, she's Jack's. Maybe he can take you for a ride this week." 

Jack gives her a death glare, and Andy's head swivels toward him, not before yelling at his mother. "Oh, so Jacky here gets a motorcycle and I barely got a bike? I see how it is." It's said in a joking matter, and Jack can see his mom roll her eyes before she vanishes into the house. "So where'd you learn to ride a motorcycle?" She asks, tugging her suitcase up to the house. 

Jack closes the trunk and stumbles for an answer. "Uh, a friend taught me how." 

Andy whistles again, stopping next to Arcee. Jack sends a silent prayer skyward. "Damn, you got some friends." 

He hums and agreement, and pats Arcee's seat as he closest the house's door behind him. Maybe he can coax his mom into letting him have another hour of sleep or at least some coffee. 

He cannot. 

His mom leaves for her shift at the hospital in less than an hour, thanking Andy over and over again for watching him. "Some of his friends might pop by, a little girl and boy. They're good kids, and he's being picked up tonight." She looks at him. "I forgot it was Raf's birthday, his- er- mom called me and asked if you could come over." 

Jack has no doubt it was Miko who called, intending to remind him to wrap his present, but instead got his mom. "Thanks, mom." 

She nods, kisses him on top of his hair, and hugs Andy. "Thank you again, hun." 

"Of course, go save a life for me." His mom smiles, and he hears the car pull out of the driveway a moment later. Andy crosses her arms and turns to him. "You clearly need more sleep, go ahead." 

He thanks her profusely, and hunkers down, praying for another blessed hour of peace and quiet. 

He gets three. Andy shares his sentiment on not wanting to be up on a Saturday morning because she doesn't wake him up. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and washes his face before walking down the hall to the kitchen. 

Something is cooking on the stove, and there's a glass of OJ on the small table. Jack takes a seat and realizes it's bacon and eggs. Andy, with a towel thrown over one shoulder, walks over with the hot pan and dumps half of its contents onto his plate. He thanks her, and digs in.  _ Damn,  _ he thinks,  _ if only mom cooked this good.  _

Andy shrugs at his thanks. "Figured you could use some food, sorry you had to be up so early." 

He makes an 'it's okay' motion with his shoulders and doesn't stop to answer verbally. Andy sniggers and eats straight out of the pan. Jack knows his mom would kill him for that, and he doesn't plan on mentioning it to her. If he can get his sister to cook for him for the rest of the week, he'll put up with anything. 

"So," she offers. "What happens in Jasper that you all do for fun?" 

Jack remembers to breathe and finishes off his plate. Food in his stomach and more than five hours of sleep at his back, he's prepared to think. "Pretty much nothing, unless you like trekking out in the middle of nowhere to do nothing." 

Andy laughs and puts the pan in the sink, running water over it. "Same 'ole, then?" 

Jack hums in response, bringing his plate to the counter when the doorbell rings. Andy reaches for something in the waistband of her shorts, and he leaps over the chair to get the door. It's only nine, and there are two people who it could be, and both of them stand on his doorstep. 

Miko shouts in greeting and bounds past him, only stopping when she sees Andy in the kitchen, hand still at the waistband on her shorts. Raf waits for an invitation (as if he needs one by now) and follows him in. 

Miko and his sister are having a staring contest, unintentional or not, and Jack breaks the spell by smacking her across the head. Raf giggles and Andy smirks. 

Raf waves. "Hey, I'm Raf." 

Andy gives him a small salute, moving her hand away from her shorts. "You two must the kids Jack mentioned." 

Miko tilts her head. "What's in your shorts?" 

Jack delivers another smack to Miko's head, and she swipes his hand away. Andy looks at the waistband of her shorts and back at Miko, and then to Jack. "Er, it's complicated." Well now he's curious, and the other two seem equally so. Andy sighs, seeing that this will not go unnoticed and pulls a  _ gun _ out of her waistband. If Jack looks closer, he can see a holster on the outline of her thigh. He should've noticed that earlier. Miko lets out a small 'Woah', and Raf squeaks. Jack doesn't say anything. "Standard issue model for an officer, if you want details I can give them to you."

Miko opens her mouth to probably accept the offer, and Jack shoves her toward his room. "No thanks! Er, thanks though." And he shuts the door behind him. 

The rest of the day passes without much incident. Andy orders lunch from a nearby sandwich place, the four of them gathered in the living room. Miko asks questions about Canada, Raf asks if she can speak French (she busts out in said language fluently for the next minute) and Jack merely listens. 

He knew he had a sister, mom mentioned it once or twice, but he never actually considered the possibility of seeing her again, and for an extended period too. She's not unwelcome, it's just strange to have another person in the house beside him, mom, and the occasional visit from the other two kids. 

Dinner time rolls around, and a distant honk echoes outside the house. Miko jumps to her feet "Bulk! C'mon Raf!" 

The two of them are sprinting toward the door before Jack can so much as breathe.  _ Here comes the hard part,  _ he thinks, standing up. Andy follows him. "I'll just see you out, don't worry, I won't pry." 

And she keeps that promise until she sees Arcee in the driveway with her holoform. She leans in toward his ear. "I thought that was your bike?" 

Jack makes up an excuse on the fly. "She is, uh, I let a friend of mine borrow it." Andy gives him a look that suggests she would have believed anything but that. 

Andy looks out onto the road and watches the two kids get in the passenger sides of the backseat, she doesn't catch a look at the driver, but she does get an eye-full of the cars. 

And they are some cars. 

She doesn't know much about cars, she's not a mechanics person, but she can appreciate when a nice one rolls up in front of her mom's house. Raf runs to the yellow sports car (the door swings up and open to great him) and Miko runs to the green, Jeep-looking one. They're both fancy, with stunning paint jobs to boot, and then she sees the woman dismount Jack's motorcycle (she's still a little skeptical as to how a sixteen-year-old got a hold on a bike of this caliber.) 

She's tall, lean, and  _ really  _ good looking. She pulls the dark helmet off with the equally dark visor hiding her face, and Andy has to fight to keep her jaw off the pavement. 

The woman's hair is cut short, pixie style, and it's dark blue (holy shit!) Her face is made up of angles (she swears on her life that this woman's jawline could cut diamonds), and her eyes match the hair. 

Andy's speechless for a moment, and she can feel Jack giving her a look that clearly disapproves. "Er, hi." She sticks out her hand. "Andy."  _ Well done, beautifully put. Way to lose your mind around one pretty girl.  _

The woman takes a step forward, helmet under her arm and a smirk on her lips (Andy will  _ not  _ stare at them.) "Arcee, I'm a friend of Jacks." 

_ I'd like you to be my friend.  _ "Aren't you a little old for him?"  _ Oh. My God.  _

Thank  _ God  _ Arcee snorts and shakes her hand, a smirk growing. Jack groans in the background, and there's an audible smack as he throws his head into his palm. "Just friend's, promise." But she's still laughing, which brings Andy some comfort. 

"Is he staying the night? Sorry June didn't-" 

Arcee releases her hand. "No need to apologize, you're fine. I think so, it's Raf's birthday." 

Jack swears quietly and runs back inside, Andy guesses he's running to get his present for the kid. "Thanks for picking him up." 

Arcee shrugs and starts to walk back to her bike. "No problem, thanks for making sure Miko didn't blow something up again." 

" _ Again?"  _

Arcee laughs again, fitting her helmet back onto her head as Jack comes running out with both his helmet and the present for Raf. He slips it on his head, climbing on the back seat (a seat, Andy would kill for right now.) "It's a long story, maybe Jack can tell you about it sometime." 

"C'mon Arcee," he mutters with a groan. Clad in black, Arcee swings her leg over the front seat of the bike and revs the engines. Jack wraps one arm hesitantly around her shoulder, the other gripping the present, and Andy can't help but feel a little jealous. She waves at the line of suave cars pulls around the street corner, off to God only knows where. 

Everyone save for Optimus crowds around Raf as he opens his presents. Bulkhead and Arcee pay only half a mind as to what's going on, and Ratchet even less so. He's only over here because Bumblebee pulled the kicked-puppy look, and no one can resist it, not even the grouchy medic. 

Jack gets him a new computer storage chip, and Miko a chemistry set. Raf thanks both of them, and they dig into the pizza they picked up on the way to the base. 

Arcee starts up a conversation while the three of them are stuffing their faces. "Your sister seems nice." 

Jack nearly snorts cheese and sauce out of his nose. Miko laughs at him and he throws a punch that intends no harm. It misses but gets Raf to start laughing too. "She's fine." 

"She's got a gun," Miko chimes in, already on her third slice. Jack again attempts to hit her in the arm but misses. She just keeps on laughing. 

Arcee raises a metal eyebrow. "Why?" 

Jack shrugs. "Police officer." His guardian hums, and before he can stop his brain from going straight to his mouth, he adds another statement. "She likes you." 

This time, it's Miko who almost shoots pizza out of her nose. Arcee shrugs. "Tell her I'm flattered." 

Jack sighs. "No, I mean, she's into you." 

"And?" 

He swivels around to look at her. "You're not bothered by it?" 

Arcee shrugs again, crossing her arms. "It wasn't a problem on Cybertron. There were a few traditionalists, but they weren't violent, and small in numbers. They mostly kept to themselves, so no, I'm not bothered by it, tell her I'm honestly flattered." 

"But then she's gonna want your number!" 

Miko, who's finally stopped choking on pizza, seems to not be following the conversation. "Well, why not?" Arcee and Jack both give her a look, and she comes to the conclusion. "Oh." 

"And," Jack adds. "She's my older sister." 

"So?" Miko tilts her head. He gives her a look. "Oh yeah." This time, the light smack he aims at her arm hits true. 

Arcee rolls her optics. "At least she's good looking." The room goes dead quiet, you could hear a pin drop. "By human standards, that is." Ratchet seems to be the only one who notices her slip up (he only rolls his optics and returns to whatever he was doing in the first place.) 

The children all hunker down in their little alcove and watch movie after movie. Raf has fallen asleep by the third, Miko is fighting to keep her eyes open, and Jack is stifling a yawn. 

The oldest of the three stand up to turn off their old, beat-up television and almost immediately falls asleep as soon as he returns to his pile of blankets. 

They're all out in less than five minutes, Arcee is surprised they lasted this long. She hopes (for Ratchet's sake) that they'll sleep in a little, Primus knows he needs his peace and quiet. 

"I'm going for a drive, stretch my wheels." She tells Ratchet who, despite Optimus' wishes, still hasn't gone into recharge. He waves his servo, indicating he's heard her, and Arcee transformers and drives out into the night. 

It's late (or early, depending on how you look at it) and the roads are quiet. She's got half a mind to drive endlessly into the desert, but suddenly she finds herself at the entry to the town of Jasper. Activating her holoform, Arcee rolls down a familiar set of streets.  _ Might as well check on June and Andy, 'Cons are known to use humans as leverage,  _ she reasons. 

Jack's sister seems nice enough, she's not overly protective, a huge difference with June, and it's a nice refresher. There was a hint of an accent when they talked briefly. She was from Canada, Jack said, or at least, she's lived there long enough to pick up the accent. 

Andy hears the motorbike pull up in front of her mom's house. She can't sleep, jetlag has it out for her, so when the nearly soundless engine grinds to a halt outside, she jumps to her feet. Possibility one, it's Jack, and Lord only knows why he's up this late driving, and a motorcycle at that. Scenario two, it's his hot "friend" who she thought about two hours after she left. Andy changed into sweatpants and an old shirt long ago, intending to sleep. Her shoe options are limited to flip-flops and tennis shoes, and she hastily throws on the later. 

Opening the door quietly as to not wake June, Andy slips out onto the porch and sees the somewhat familiar figure in black resting on her idling bike. Arcee gives a small wave, removing her helmet. "Hey," She whispers into the night. 

Andy nearly chokes on nothing and waves back. "Hey yourself." She walks to the curb. "What're you doing up this early?" 

Arcee shrugs. "Couldn't sleep, you?" 

Andy reaches the curb and puts her hands in her pockets. "Same here, jetlag." 

The woman nods, and after a moment of silence, pulls (seemingly out of nowhere) a spare helmet.  _ Jack's  _ helmet. "Care for a ride? It helps me." 

Andy dares not believe her luck and doesn't so much as look back at the house as she takes the helmet from Arcee. "I've ridden one of these all of one time, so you'll have to forgive me if I have no clue what I'm doing." 

Arcee chuckles lightly and mounts the bike, pulling her helmet back on. Andy does the same. It's a little small, but not terrible. "Just hold on, we'll make it short if you want" 

_ Hell no,  _ she thinks. "As long as you'd like," she says instead, climbing on behind her. She doesn't know where to put her hands for a moment. (That's a lie, she knows  _ exactly  _ where she has to put them, she's seen movies, but she's too much of a chicken to do it.) 

Arcee senses her hesitation. "You're fine, go ahead." 

So she wraps both arms around the woman's waist, head just peeking over her shoulder. She gives one final check that Andy isn't going to fall off the end, and revs the engine, speeding off into the night. 

Andy herself has to catch her breath for a minute. Riding a motorcycle is like riding a roller-coaster, only with a helmet covering your eyes and a vehicle beneath you. It's just as much as an adrenaline rush, and having a pretty woman in front of her does not help. 

The neighborhood hood flies by. At night, Jasper streetlights flash red and yellow, and Arcee barely slows down before driving through them. In a few minutes, they're out in the desert, driving at seventy miles an hour and gaining. She can feel the wind wiping through her thin clothing, though she's mostly sheltered from it by Arcee. It's not cold outside, not by Canadian standards, but it is brisk, cool enough to feel refreshed. 

Slowly, Andy raises her head off of Arcee's shoulder and looks around. The landscape soars past, larger things like plateaus and the distant mountains go slower, staying in her line of sight for a longer time. The night is clear, there's not a cloud to be seen, and if she looks up, the stars are bright against the black sky. 

She lets out a little laugh, releasing one of her arms around Arcee and lifts it in the air, catching the wind in her fingers. The woman in front guns it, taking a split second look at the one behind her. 

Andy looks happy, carefree, as though if Arcee could go fast enough, she could leave all her stress back in Jasper. One of her hands reaches up, as though she thinks she can touch the stars winking down on them. 

It's poetic, beautiful, and she hasn't felt like this since Cybertron's prime. 

What she feels is... complicated, to say the least. 

Long drives like this always bring out this kind of emotion: the feeling of freedom and giddiness, but there's something added to the mix as they roar past eighty. 

Perhaps it's the added presence of another person, another woman to be more specific. Being the only female in their dysfunctional family has its ups and downs (Miko just barely counts) and she never feels like when Jack is around. Maybe because she's not in her holoform around him, but that feels like a sorry excuse. 

Arcee pulls to a stop on the side of the road, and Andy behind her removes her helmet. "Holy  _ shit."  _

She laughs, removing her own head protection. "Just as fun as you thought?" 

Andy grins wildly, hair tousled from the helmet. "Even better." She looks up at the sky, mouth open. "The sky is so pretty here." Arcee hums. It's nothing like the view from Cybertron, but she won't tell her that. Andy continues to look at the stars for another moment, eyes moving back and forth. "So, where are you from?" 

Ah, the question she's been dreading. "I moved to Jasper from out of town a few years ago." 

Another reason she now likes Andy is that she doesn't press the issue. She picks up on the way she says it because there are no more questions asked. Acree can appreciate that, Miko would have pried and pried until she snapped. 

Andy looks back up to the sky, and Arcee follows her gaze. Jack and Raf had a conversation about constellations once and convinced her and Bumblebee to take them up to the roof one night for stargazing. They pointed out a few star formations and asked about Cybertron and its planetary formation. Raf translated from Bumblebee, and over an hour had gone by before Bulkhead and Miko came looking for them. 

It's much quieter out here in the middle of nowhere. There's the gentle blowing of the wind and the chirping of some kind of desert bird. A group of insects screeches from some hidden crevice, and if she strains her ears, a distant howl of coyotes echoes back. Arcee wonders if Andy is fazed by any of this. "You should probably get some sleep," she mutters, throwing her helmet over her head again. 

Andy hesitantly does the same, still looking upwards. This time, she wraps an arm around her waist without waiting for permission (Arcee thought that was kinda cute.) 

She kicks the motorbike back into gear, and they speed past sixty in a matter of seconds. The ride back into town is silent, Andy remains alert, gazing around at the moving landscape, but when they pull into the edge of town, her head drops to Arcee's shoulder. She can the woman breathing evenly, even if her holoform's senors are sub-par. 

It's a matter of minutes before they pull in front of the Darby's front lawn. Arcee doesn't remove her helmet, but Andy does, and with a yawn, hands it over. "Thanks for the ride." 

She shrugs nonchalantly, as though this whole escapade was intentional. "No problem, hope it helped." 

Andy nods, stifling another yawn behind the back of her hand. She laughs a little. "I think it did, sorry to nag, but what time is Jack getting back?" 

Arcee waves aside her apology with a gloved hand. "Sometime tomorrow, noon maybe? The kids fell asleep around one-o-clock." 

She whistles and nods. "You should get some sleep too. I'll, uh, see you around?" 

Arcee smiles underneath her helmet and shrugs. "Who knows." And with a mock, two-fingered salute, speeds off. Andy watches her turn the corner and quietly creeps back into the dark house. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy thinks about the moments she shared with Arcee, and some unwanted company shows up.

Andy wakes up somewhere around noon. June is in the kitchen cooking something, and Jack is still nowhere to be found. She sits up on the couch, throwing aside her blanket. (June tried to give Andy her room, to which she said 'I'm not waking up at five in the morning for shifts this week, absolutely not.' Then she tried to give her Jack's room, and both of them protested that option, so Andy happily took the couch. She'd slept on worse anyway.) 

She rubs the sleep from her eyes and stands up, walking into the kitchen. "Hey, mum." 

June hums in response, handing her a breakfast sandwich on a napkin. "How'd you sleep?" 

Well, _that_ was a question. Andy swears she dreamt the drive she took with Arcee, but when she looks over to the door, she sees her shoes thrown haphazardly by the mat. In any normal circumstance, they would've been neatly stacked, but clearly, this was anything but. 

How to describe the drive last night was a whole other question Andy wasn't quite sure how to address either. There were so many mixed emotions present within such a short time it threw her for a loop. One minute, they're stargazing on the back of a motorcycle in the middle of the desert, the next Arcee is being distant and driving her home. 

Realizing she's been silent for too long, she hastily answers. "Uh, good, took me a while to fall asleep, but we got there eventually." 

Her mom chuckles. "Jet lag?" 

Andy nods and dives into the sandwich gifted to her, thankful for the opportunity to avoid more questions. 

Jack arrives about an hour later, bleary-eyed and stumbling. Andy has to restrain herself from rushing out the door to see Arcee and only manages a fleeting wave goodbye. If June notices, she doesn't say anything, and her brother is too sleep-deprived to do anything requiring brainpower. 

He sleeps until dinner. Andy has to reassure her mom that it's not a problem. 'Let the kid sleep,' she said. 'Let him have some fun and stay up past midnight once and while.' They spend the rest of the evening chatting about everything under the sun, trading jokes and stories. 

Andy helps out with dinner (it's spaghetti and mom teases her endlessly about how she never liked marinara sauce. She still doesn't.) Jack walks in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and hair wet from a shower. They serve it as he sits down and June asks about Raf's party. 

Dinner is over in less than an hour, and Jack asks if she wants to hang in their backyard until dark. "It's cooler out now, and mom said you used to play softball." 

Andy rolls her eyes. "Did she now?" 

June shrugs. "As if I could throw a ball right, he was just curious." 

She gives her a look and throws on the tennis shoes, still thrown in a pile by the door. "Jack you better have mitts in the garage. And a ball too, or this entire thing will be pointless." 

Jack grabs both his shoes and the required equipment and soon enough, they're throwing a baseball back and forth. Andy slips into her old high school softball days as she pitches a few to Jack that nearly take off his nose. He attempts to do the same, but she snatches most of them out of the air. One time, the engines of twin cars distract her and she looks over the fence. The sound belongs to two sleek, purple cars driving slowly past their house. It's the only time Jack manages to nail her with the ball, and Andy makes sure it's the last.

They laugh until the sun goes down. It finally ends when Andy pitches one above Jack's head. He reaches up with the mitt, misses it by a good few inches, and falls flat on his ass. 

Andy bends over laughing and Jack is rolling over on the grass, bright red and also laughing. They lay down on the lawn, exhausted, sweaty, and still fighting off giggles. 

The two of them watch the sunset in silence, breathing gradually softening. It's beautiful, like something out of an art gallery, with splashes of purple and blue and pink and orange and yellow and red. In the west, the sun looks like a giant fireball. In the east, the night awakens with a few clouds and stars to boot. 

Jack pulls out his phone as the sun dips below the horizon. "It's almost dark and I need a shower, you wanna head in?" 

Andy sighs and sits up, nodding. "I suppose we should." She pushes herself up, turns, and reaches a hand down to help him to his feet. 

He accepts the gesture, groaning. "I'm going to be so sore tomorrow." 

"You asked for it." 

He mumbles something under his breath, probably a word he doesn't want his mom to hear, and Andy snorts. They begin walking toward the back door when the sound of engines causes her to falter in her step. She walks over to the fence and peaks over. 

It's the same two purple sports cars she saw an hour ago, driving at an even slower pace by the house. Their windows are tinted, and she can't get a good look at the drivers. 

It seems like one hell of a coincidence, but she doesn't believe in those. 

"Jack, do you know these two yahoos?" He walks over, halfway through opening the door. He too peeks over the edge of the wood fence, and Andy swears his face turns green. "You okay? He doesn't answer for a moment, only watches the cars pass by and turn the corner. "Jack?" 

A string of some not PG-13 words leave his mouth and he fumbles for his phone in his pocket. It rings once before the person on the other end picks up. "Arcee? You need to get here right now, two cons just drove by." Pause. "No, I don't think they saw me." Pause. "What do you mean, no?" 

Andy leans in toward the phone. "If it's any help, they've already driven by once tonight, and I don't like secrets." 

"There, see! Arcee-" 

"What the hell has Arcee got to do with this?" 

Jack winces. "Yeah, that's Andy." Another break. "Thanks, are you Groundbridging in?" 

"What the _hell_ is 'Groundbriding?" 

Jack waves off her question. "Great, thanks." 

He hangs on, and Andy pounces. "The hell was that about? Did you piss someone off?" 

Jack looks over the fence again, rapidly texting someone. "It's complicated." 

"Complicated how? Jack, you need to give me answers so I know how to help." 

He shakes his head vigorously. "Uh uh, don't-" He stops as the sound of familiar engines rolls down the street. They peek their head over the wooden fence to see the same two cars pull around a bend, and stop in front of their house. Jack swears again. "On second thought, do you still have that gun?" Andy nods, confusion mounting. "Go get it." 

Andy is used to high-stress situations, she's used to her adrenaline pumping. In those situations, however, family was never involved. Sure, her partner was there, and they might as well have been sisters, but somehow it was different to have your biological family in the crossfires. 

Granted, she'd only known Jack for about two days, but he was a good kid. He didn't ask for this kind of trouble (well, maybe he did, but she'll hound him about this later.) 

Years of protocol and practice swim through her head as she rips open the door to the house, not bothering to close it behind her. 

June, sitting in the living room reading, looks up in confusion when she sees her daughter sprinting to her bag of stuff. "Is something wrong?" 

Andy shrugs. "Jack won't tell me, but apparently Arcee is showing up sometime." After rifling through her bag for a moment, she pulls out the standard handgun of her police department. 

It's a Glock 27, and June hitches in a breath when she sees it. "How did you-"

"Not important," Andy supplies, running back out into the backyard. Jack has his back against the fence, texting rapidly and breathing hard. Andy crouches next to him, peeking through the fence to see the two cars sitting in front of their driveway. 

It's dark out now, and the only light she can see is Jack's phone, the streetlights, and the stars. Neither is good for aiming a deadly weapon in a civilian area. "Alright, wise guy. You're mom's inside wondering what the hell is going on and frankly, so am I. Spill, now." Jack hesitates. "I won't be mad, honestly. I've been through far worse. Do I need to talk to them?" 

He shakes his head violently. "Don't do that, I already called in for help. It's sorta hard to explain." 

"Then do the best you can." She peaks over the fence again. "Is this a regular occurrence?" 

"Kinda?" 

"That does not help, at all." 

He winces. "Sorry, I just- Arcee will explain, I'm no good." 

Andy sighs. _This is going nowhere good._ "Jack, I can legally do nothing about this unless you tell me what-" The sound of clanking metal cuts her off. Jack swears and books it for the opposite end of the yard, but Andy stays where she is. 

The noise stops, and another starts. Heavy footfalls, like something much larger than a human. There are two pairs of them, _just like the two cars out front,_ Andy reasons. Another coincidence she doesn't believe in. 

A shadow passes over the light of the streetlamp, and it's _huge._ Andy whips her head around, gun held in both hands as Jack yells at her to run. 

The _thing,_ well, two things, actually, are in the simplest of terms, giant robots. 

Giant _metal_ robots (because what else would they be made of?) 

They stand at least twenty feet tall, purple and black, blending in with the night around them. They look exactly alike, there isn't a difference to be found (She wonders briefly if they're twins, then reasons that's a stupid thought and distracts from the problem at hand.) 

If she looks closer, she can see parts of the car in their bodies: The wheels on their legs, doors on their arms, and part of the frame on their shoulders. All in all: something out of her nightmares. 

Instinct honed by years in the field kicks in, and Andy raises her gun, aiming for the closest one's metal head. "Police, freeze!" _God, what the hell are you doing?_ "I'm gonna have to politely ask you to leave the premises."

They look to each other with what looks like confusion before the frontmost robot takes a step forward. Jack swear again, calling her name. He sounds far away like he huddling against the far side of the fence. Andy feels her heartbeat spike. "Leave the property, sir." 

They look at each other again, then the closest raises its hand. It shifts until it's no longer a hand, but a futuristic-looking blaster. It glows purple in the center, and Andy's eyes widen to the size of golfballs. _Oh shit._

With the safety off, she opens fire, aiming for the head of the nearest robot. The gun's kickback is familiar, and the bullets whiz out of the barrel. They hit true (there's a reason she aced her marksmen test), pinging off the silver metal and falling to the ground. She empties the clip, but their visitors seem unfazed. 

The purple sci-fi blasters that replaced their hands' hum and the light grows brighter. Andy doesn't need a degree in rocket science to know what that means. "Oh shit," Is the only thing that has time to leave her mouth. 

She turns, crouching and throwing her hands over her head on instinct as if they produce some sort of impenetrable shield that can protect her vital organs. 

A dull, _woosh,_ echoes somewhere to her left, accompanied by a bright light. Andy doesn't look up, only keeps her position as loud clangs fill the air. There's a brief yell of pain, promptly cut off by blaster fire, and a female-sounding battle cry, followed by another series of clashes. 

Silence follows, accompanied by Jack's hard breathing from the other side of the yard and her own pounding heartbeat. 

Andy looks up, uncurling slowly, and surveys the scene. The two evil twins are incapacitated (at least, they sure as hell look like it. Sparks are flying from the chest of one of them, and the other's head is laying about a foot away from the rest of its body. Generally, decapitation means death.) Above them, stand _another_ robot because that's _exactly_ what she needs right now. 

She (it looks like a she, and calling the robot 'it' sounds awfully derogatory, considering she just saved her life) stands tall, though shorter than the other two, somehow, she's more intimidating. She regards Andy with a gaze she can't quite pin down. Her mechanical eyes focus and unfocus in their sockets, and Andy briefly wonders what she sees. 

She's about to thank her when Jack comes running from the corner. " _Arcee,"_ he says in a breath of relief and Andy does a double-take. 

"Arcee?" She repeats, and she swears Jack's face pales. Andy swings to look back at the robot who just saved her ass and gives her a once over. 

She does look familiar, maybe it's the cut of her jawlines, and how it looks almost identical to Arcee's; or how the shade of her armor is the same one as Arcee's hair. Andy can see parts of a motorcycle in her frame, and it looks scarily similar to the blue-haired beauty who gave her a ride the other night. 

All in all, if Arcee was a robot, she'd look like the one standing in front of her. 

"This is awkward," Jack mumbled, twiddling his thumbs. Andy looks between the two with a raised eyebrow, as though she's suddenly channeling her mother (gross.) 

Robot-Arcee sighs (do robots breathe?) and rubs her metal face with a steely hand. "I'll call Bee in for clean-up. Con drones my cause some unwanted attention." She points to Andy. "We need to talk." 

And then, robot-Arcee _shifts_. Gears turn inside out, plates twist, mechanics whiz through the open air, and in less than five seconds, Andy is staring at a motorbike. _Jack's_ motorbike, though she's beginning to question the merit of that story. 

Her mouth drops, and she's about to ask ' _what the_ fuck?' but Jack steals her thunder. "You don't think the cons are watching the house?" 

The motorbike revs its engine (on its _own_ ) and then it _responds._ "Doubt it, I think the cons were just looking for some trouble. Stay quiet just in case, I'll tell Raf to sweep the town for any more stragglers." The front wheel of the bike rolls forward gently until it's a few feet from Andy. "We should talk," it repeats. "Not here, people might already be awake thanks to tweedle-de and tweedle-dumb." 

Andy isn't sure if she should go straight to reprimanding or panic mode, so she does a bit of both. "Hell. No. Absolutely not. I'd love some answers as much as the next person, but you gotta give me a second." 

Jack winces. "Sorry, I know this is a bit much, but Arcee can explain." 

"Where's the, er, human Arcee?" 

"A holoform," the motorcycle replies, the dashboard blinking. "A rider-less motorbike causes some questions." 

"Are you um," Andy hesitates, "safe?" 

Motorcycle-Arcee snorts (of all things,) "I'm not going to kidnap you if that's what you mean." 

Andy tilts her head. "That would be nice." She turns to Jack, handing him the gun, barrel toward her. "Take this inside. Don't push anything, don't click anything, just put it _gently_ in my bag. Tell your mom whatever the hell she needs to hear." 

Jack takes the weapon with a hesitant hand, holding it like it's a nuclear bomb about to explode. He nods, stepping over the metal arm of a robot, and back inside to the door Andy never closed. 

Andy herself looks skeptically to the motorbike, waiting at the gate of the sideyard, headlights blazing out into the empty lawn. The fence is a bit of a mess, seeing as two giant robots just barreled through it, maybe she can help fix it by the end of the week. 

She stumbles over. "Who's Bee?" 

The dashboard blinks. "A friend, he'll be here in a minute, but I should explain some things before you say hello." 

The bike revs its engine, a clear message to Andy that says 'get on.' Andy doesn't know quite what to think (she doesn't even have a _helmet_ ) but she pulls her sunglasses from her pocket and slides them on. It's no head protection, and if motorcycle-Arcee's intentions are really to cause her harm, there's nothing between her head and the pavement. 

Against _all_ of her better judgment, Andy throws a leg over the seat (more gingerly than she did last time mind you, something about the knowledge that she's on top of a deadly transforming robot gives her a bit more wariness) and Arcee pulls off onto the street. 

They drive down the same path they took the night before, out of Jasper and into the desert. Maybe it's her imagination, but she feels as though Arcee is going slower. Is it for her sake? Because she's not wearing a helmet? Is it because she's low on gas? Does she need gas? Is she overthinking this? Probably, thank God she pulls over on the side of the road, behind a mesa, which gives Andy something else to think about. 

Arcee cuts her engine, she takes this as a sign to get off, and as soon as she swings her leg back over and has her footing on the dusty, rocky ground, Arcee transforms. 

It's still hard to wrap her head around, but it's _fascinating._ The movements- even though they're mechanical- are graceful. Arms form out of plates, legs out of wheels, shoulders out of handlebars, all the while Andy stares in rapt awe. 

Arcee notices and looks away, walking over to a spot and sitting on a stray boulder. Andy feels the footsteps vibrations in her chest and takes this as a sign to follow. 

She sits with her back to the same rock Arcee sits on, staring out at the night sky. If there's one thing she can appreciate about Jasper, it's the sky. The sunsets and sunrises never fail to amaze her, and the night sky brings with it a stunning, clear view of the stars. 

A slight breeze ripples through the air as Arcee speaks. "I take it you've got questions." 

Andy smiles, breathing out a short laugh. "A few, yeah." She pauses. "So the Arcee I met, the human one, does she- I don't know- exist?" It doesn't come out as sarcastic, despite the wording. 

"She's a holoform," she answers as Andy stares up at her, head framed against the moonlight. "For interacting with humans and use in populated areas. I'm the only one that has one, being a motorbike and all." 

"So this is the real you," Andy asks, gesturing up and down with her hand. Arcee looks down at her and nods hesitantly, as though she waiting for a verdict, but her eyes are hard. "Just making sure," Andy finishes with a smile, folding her fingers together. It must've been the right thing to say because Acree smiles (if metal robots are capable of such things) and looks back out to the horizon. 

"I take it you're not from Earth then?" 

"We're Cybortronian." 

"Does that stand for something, some kind of acronym?" 

"It's a planet." 

Andy nods, her brain slowly working around all of these new pieces of information. "So there's a planet called Cybertron, you're from said planet, and I'm wagering a guess everyone else from Cybertron looks somewhat like you." She waves a hand at Arcee, indicating she means the robot part. 

"Yeah, something like that." She responds, the corner of her metal mouth turning upward. 

Andy nods, folding her fingers together again. "That begs my next question: what are you guys doing on Earth?" 

"That's a bit more complicated." 

"I think I'm getting the hang of it." 

Acree snorts, shaking her head in amusement, but it fades quickly. "There's war." _Oh God._ Andy opens her mouth to apologize and say Arcee doesn't have to talk about it, that those four words were enough of an explanation (even though she'd like some more) but she powers on. She also takes note of the present tense, which means something is still happening, there's still some kind of conflict, which explains the two idiots in the backyard. "It was between two factions: Autobots and Decepticons, we're a part of the first. Our planet was decimated, there's a reason not a lot of us are left." A pause. "Optimus- our leader, if you want to meet him I'll take you sometime- crash-landed here with some of our team, me and- a partner Groundbridged in." 

Andy notices the way Arcee stutters over 'partner,' and she knows better than to pry. She's not a complete idiot. "So why Earth?" She asks quietly. 

"Energon supply, the stuff that makes us run. Earth's got plenty of it." 

"Which is also why the Decepticons are here, I'm guessing? Is that what you're fighting over?" 

Arcee looks down at her and smiles. "You are smart." 

"I try," she answers, grinning back. "You know, when you said you were from out of town, I thought you meant, like, Europe or something, not another planet." 

With her attempt to break the ice, Arcee laughs, smiling down at her again with something other than humor in her eyes. "That's kind of the point." 

The week comes to a close with no other incidents. After school, Jack is picked up by Arcee, who drops him by the house. She and Andy chat for a bit, Jack rolls his eyes and traipses into the house, mildly-upset Arcee is no longer just his motorbike to talk to. 

Arcee takes her for a ride a few more times, most of them at night (it's become something Andy can look forward to, and every time the near-silent engine pulls up in their driveway, she feels her heart jump.) 

They drive out into the desert for a while, the roar of the wind too loud to speak over, and pull over off the side of the road. Arcee transforms, Andy lays her sweatshirt out on the dirt, and they talk (about _literally_ everything.) She learns about Cliffjumper, life before the war, what happens on Earth regarding their team (and the Decepticons), the other kids, close calls, and what her favorite Earth music is (one of these things is not like the other.) 

Andy doesn't have near as exciting stories, but she pulls a few from under her belt, but her friend (companion? partner? motorbike?) is content to listen to anything she has to say. She also doesn't visit the base- though Arcee does offer, she turns it down politely. "I'm content with just one deadly alien robot in my life, thanks," she says with mirth, and Arcee smirks. "Though I wouldn't mind knowing what they look like in case, you know, kidnapping ensues." 

"That's highly unlikely, you're being paranoid." 

"Arcee it's my _job_ to be paranoid." 

And that's how Arcee pulls up a picture of their team. "Optimus," she starts. "Is the big red one. That's Bulk on the right, Bee on the left, Ratchet next to him, and-" 

"You in the front." They smile, and Arcee closes the screen on her arm. (Andy is _still_ getting over the extent of their tech, it's phenomenal.) 

Then comes the day of departure. Andy's bags are packed, passport in her pocket, shoes on, and a weird emotion in her chest. She chalks it up to being just a bundle of feelings, from several different outlets. 

One: She'll miss Jack and mom. True, she doesn't love Jasper, (she'd take snow over sun any day of the week) but this is her family, they're good people. She regrets not coming by sooner. 

Two: She's going to miss Arcee. She's going to miss their talks, she's going to miss their drives, their laughter, their smiles, and everything in between. 

Andys' loved before, she's been in relationships and thought 'yes, this is the person I'm going to marry, this is the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with' and then something happens: they grow apart, family issues, personal issues, or it just doesn't click. So she's a bit dodgy on the etiquette for asking out alien robot (or even if it's _possible_ ) and she's not about to ask Jack. 

But she's perfectly content to be friends and just friends. That is, if Arcee wants to stay in touch, hell, if she _can_ stay in touch (is there a rule forbidding this? Who knows.) 

June drives her to the airport with Jack in the backseat. They fall into a conversation much easier this time, maybe it's because there's no longer the humongous secret of alien robot living on Earth between them. (Andy finds out on the drive that June, in fact, _does_ know about the Autobots. This comes as a bit of a shock, as does the story as to _how_ she found out, it's almost as great as hers.) 

They pull up to the curb and unload her bags from the trunk. There's only two of them, and when June offers Jack up to help her carry them inside, she declines. "Mom, I can lift two bags, I got here just fine." 

So she waves from just before the door and watches as the two of them drive off with a honk, Jack now in the front seat. She smiles to herself, a bit of sadness creeping in, and turns around. 

The clearing of a throat causes her to spin around again, and there stands Arcee. _Human-_ Arcee, with her arms crossed, a smirk on her lips, and bike parked a few feet away with the kickstand down. 

Andy's teeny smile turns into a full-fledged grin. "Hey." 

"Hey yourself," she answers with a smirk. "Thought I'd see you off, Jack told me too." 

"Did he now?" She asks, fully intent on giving him an earful of thank you's or some words his mother doesn't need to hear, she hasn't decided yet. Andy hesitates, looks down at the concrete. "I suppose this is goodbye, or something like that." 

Acree's smirk turns into a melancholic smile. "Yeah, something like that," she responds, reaching into her pocket. She pulls out a sticky note, folded over so the writing on the other side is hidden. She hands it to her with a steady hand. "If you need us- if you need me for anything, call." 

Andy sets one of her bags down and unfolds the note and sure enough, there is a stunning script of flawless cursive is a phone number. "This is a pretty shitty business card." She grins with laughter in her eyes, folding it back onto its crease and into her pocket.

Arcee's smirk returns and her arms rest at her sides. "It's a secure line, Fowler has it, June has it, the kids have it too, Jack thought I should give it to you." 

"Jack thinks up a lot of things, doesn't he?" 

"Primus, you should see Miko." Andy laughs, recalling their brief talk on the creators of Cybertron. They fall silent, the conversation has naturally come to a close, and Andy knows it's time to say goodbye. "Hey, um, thank you. For everything, it was nice meeting you- the _real_ you, we should stay in touch." 

Arcee's smirk turns into a well-meaning, happy smile. "I'd like that." She holds out a hand and Andy meets it with her own. Her grip is firm, comforting, and they shake once. Andy gives an extra squeeze at the last moment before they pull away, and Arcee smiles. "See you around, Darby," she says fondly turning around to walk back to the bike. 

Andy watches her go, rubbing her thumb on her knuckle, as though she can still feel the touch of Arcee's hand (be it fake or not.) 

She swings a nimble leg over the bike and slides the helmet over her hair, the visor already down. Andy hears the dull roar of the engine start and settles into a steady hum. 

Arcee gives her a two-fingered salute as she revs the engine and speeds away into the daylight. Andy does the same- she knows she can't see it, but somehow, it's a reassuring gesture, so she does it anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andy "If anything happens to Jack I'd shoot everyone in this room and then myself" Darby is my favorite  
> And that's it for this one-shot, thank you so much for picking this up. I feel like this was super cringy at some parts but who knows. I should be throwing another one in here in a little while, quarantine has given me plenty of time to write so here we are.  
> June: "Oh yes, Andy and Acree are such good friends."  
> Me: "June, they're lesbians."  
> P.s. If I'm in the mood I might extend this one a bit, just to give more stories for these two, I feel like it could go somewhere.


End file.
